Entry requirements

The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree.

Months of entry

January, December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February

Course content

Research students are welcomed to Brunel as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. A research degree provides the opportunity to investigate a topic in depth, and contribute new knowledge to your discipline. A PhD involves demonstrating through original research or other advanced scholarship the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, a systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge at the forefront of an academic discipline or professional practice, the ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the general of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline. Both full-time (3 years) and part-time (6 years) study routes are available.

MPhil degree option

An MPhil involves the exploration of a research topic and is typically studied over a shorter period of 1 year for a full-time student and 2 years for a part-time student. MPhil students are required to demonstrate a systematic understanding of knowledge and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights informed by the forefront of their discipline, field of study or professional practice.

Research profile

The overall aim of the Ageing Studies theme is to advance our knowledge and understanding of how to improve the health and quality of life of older people. We bring a range of disciplinary perspectives to addressing our key research challenges: maximising the ability of people to age well, mapping the diverse and dynamic ways that people age, and contributing to the development and evaluation of health and social care interventions that optimise the potential for ageing well. Our theme, which has 40 members, embraces the four key disciplinary perspectives that underpin the understanding of ageing well: social and behavioural sciences, biology, clinical and health sciences, and arts, humanities, policy and politics. In the main, however, our research focuses on three key areas of activity.

While we welcome all multidisciplinary topics in the area of Ageing Studies, here is a list of potential research areas we would like to supervise:

Successful ageing: learning from the very active
Reactivating senescent cells through epigenetic mechanisms
Ageing in minority communities
Loneliness
Ageing with a disability
Ageing without children
Financial gerontology and elder abuse
Literary, cultural and social narratives of old age
Fear of falling and mobility
Design interventions and assistive technologies
The association between muscle strength, muscle quality, sedentary behaviour and disability in adults with cerebral palsy
Activity and participation in adults with multiple sclerosis
Identifying genes that affect ageing in a Drosophila model of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome.

The three main clusters of research cut across areas of Biological, Social and Psychological Ageing and include experts in:

rehabilitation after cancer and stroke,
incontinence,
biomechanics and falls,
cellular and molecular biology of ageing,
sociology and psychology of loneliness,
financial and elder abuse,
ageing with alcohol,
ethnic ageing and driving cessation,
dementia,
mid life risk factors for cognitive decline in old age, and
posterior cortical atrophy.

Information for international students

All international students must show evidence that they meet the English requirement for their course of study: IELTS 7.0 (with no less than 6.0 in any section). This applies even if English is the native language of your home country.

Fees and funding

We offer a range of PhD studentships, partial scholarships, and academic prizes, to help with your research fees. Explore external funding, particularly the Research Councils, as well as other support.